Robredo signals Open intent with Sydney win

Tommy Robredo brushed aside Jurgen Melzer at the Sydney International tennis tournament to signal his intent as an outside contender for next week's Australian Open.

The tournament seventh seed edged past the Austrian 4-3 in their head-to-head meetings with a 6-3, 6-4 win to set up a second-round encounter with Croatia's Mario Ancic, who ousted Belgian qualifier Xavier Malisse, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in a late match.

Robredo, 26, who finished in the year-end top 30 rankings for the eighth straight year in 2008, said the men's field in the year's first Grand Slam tournament was the most open in recent memory.

"Obviously, the world number one (Rafael Nadal) is the favourite but (Andy) Murray is playing great, I don't think anyone can say (Roger) Federer has no chance, (Novak) Djokovic is there again (as is Andy) Roddick," he said.

"There are always great names so we will see who is in the best shape."

But Robredo does not write off his chances of making deep inroads into the men's draw on the Melbourne hardcourts.

The best he has achieved in Melbourne was a quarter-final showing two years ago.

"Hopefully, they are not in good shape and I can get (far)," he said.

"That's why I'm here. I'm just going to try to do my best and win as many matches as possible.

"Hopefully, I can be the surprise (at the Australian Open). It would be a nice present."

The Sydney International has not been a happy hunting ground for the Spaniard and he has a 3-5 losing record with a quarter-final appearance his best finish in 2004.

But he started his 2009 Sydney International campaign in the best possible manner, taking 90 minutes to put away Melzer.

Elsewhere in the men's draw on Monday, Finland's Jarkko Nieminen needed a 20-point tiebreaker before eliminating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, 6-2, 7-6 (11/9) to set up a second-round match with Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych or Australian wild card Chris Guccione, who play Tuesday.

Nieminen is yet to lose to Lopez in five encounters.

Frenchman Michael Llodra crushed German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr, 6-0, 6-2 and Simone Bolelli won the all-Italian match against Potito Starace, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, reversing a run of two defeats to Starace.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt begins his quest for a fifth Sydney title against Frenchman Julien Benneteau Tuesday, with Russian Dmitry Tursunov getting his title defence under way against Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Nalbandian have had byes into Wednesday's second round.

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